TRUTH OR DARE. "You're a wimp, spike." "Come on, Buff. You've said truth 5 times." "Yeah, but not 3 times in a row." "So stake me." He grabbed her wrist when Buffy reached for the stake. "I was joking." "You should know better than that." Buffy twisted her arm free. "Come on you two. No fighting." "Yeah, I know, Nibblet. Feel good, touchy feely, poofy get together. Good for the soul, and all that rubbish." He rolled his eyes. "Ok Red, ask away." Willow looked at dawn, then asked, "What's your favourite colour?" "What kind of question is that? It's black." "Sorry to burst your bubble slayer, but it ain't, blue is." "Told you willow. You owe me 5 bucks." "You bet my favourite colour is blue?" "Nah, I bet that it wasn't black." Dawn took the money offered her. "Safer." "That's my girl." "Ok, one, she's not your girl. And two, you're not supposed to be teaching her how to gamble." "How else am I supposed to win kitten poker?" Dawn cracked up at Buffy's appalled face. "I was joking." Dawn now looked at Buffy very seriously. "We really play strip poker." "She had better be joking." At that both spike and dawn rolled around on the floor laughing. Buffy sighed "ok, if black isn't your favourite colour, where does it rank?" "Um, blue, then I like red, then I think black." "Do you like pink?" "Not pale pink." He shuddered. "But that dark, bright pink, that can be quite sexy." The three girls all rolled around laughing when they heard that. "Spike likes hot pink." Spluttered dawn. "Oh, Spiky, I didn't know. I have to tell everybody about this. Maybe I'll let some vampires get away on patrol after telling them this." "Shut up. I said it looks sexy, as in on a bird." Dawn couldn't resists teasing spike a bit more. "Do you like purple too?" "Only on you, Nibblet." "What about magenta?" "Magenta! That's not a colour. It's a bloody disgrace that some poof made up." There was a silence after spike said this, then dawn began to giggle. Buffy looked at dawn. "What?" "I have just thought of the perfect Christmas present to get angel." "Do we really care what you're getting peaches for Christmas?" "Oh yeah, you would." "Fine. What are you going get angel." Dawn started laughing. "Are you going to tell us, or you just going to laugh?" "Ok, ok. Magent-" she started laughing again. "Magenta pa-pa-pyjamas." At that she rolled on the floor laughing. Spike laughed too, and willow cracked a smile. Buffy was the only one who didn't find it funny. "The thing is, peaches would probably like them!" spike spluttered. He and dawn slapped high five. Buffy glared at them. Dawn noticed. "You do realize slayer powers don't include being able to shoot lasers out of your eyes?" "You are spending to much time with spike." "So. What you gonna do about it." "Nothing, right now. Let's just keep playing. I choose. dare." "I got one Nibblet." Spike leaned over and whispered into dawn's ear. A slow grin crossed her face and she giggled. "Ok. That's a good one." "What is?" "Your dare is tomorrow night, on patrol, you have to flit-" "And kiss," spike added. "And kiss," dawn agreed, "a vampire before you stake them." "So I take it spike, you're going to be hanging around tomorrow." "Nope. One, I don't plan on getting staked, which is part of the dare." "Damn! I was hoping you hadn't noticed that." Spike grinned and continued. "And two, I have my eye on someone else now." "Spikey's got a crush, Spikey's got a crush." The three girls all chanted. "So who is it?" willow asked. "As if I'm going to tell you." "Aww, please!" dawn said, looking up at him with wide innocent looking eyes. "Puppy dog eyes aren't going to work, bit." "Then I guess we'll have to use. tickle torture." She said, launching herself onto spike. "Come on dawn, he's a vampire, he's not going to be ticklish." "Fat lot you know." Dawn told her sister as spike squirmed around trying to escape her probing fingers. He called out hoarsely "slayer, red, help." Willow grinned. "Ok spike, I'll help." Dawn slowed down when she heard this, but then willow joined in. Buffy looked at spike in amusement. "You're ticklish and you like pink." "I said, stop, please, I said, it, don't, please stop, it looks sexy. Stop tickling me." "I don't think so." "Not until you tell us who the girl is." "I'm, not, telling. Stop." "Fine," Dawn sat back and sulked. "Be that way. But I thought we were friends." "We are Bit. But that doesn't mean I'm going to tell you every bloody thought that goes through my mind." "He just doesn't want us to tell her that he likes pink." "For the last bloody time slayer, I said I think that pink can be sexy!!!"

"Buffy, I'm going out." Dawn called out to her sister. I am so going find out who spike likes. Then, I'll tell 'em and watch spike squirm. I can't believe he's been keeping secrets. "Where are you going? It'll be dark soon." "I'm going to swing by spike's. He promised he would take me to the bronze." "You're going to the bronze with spike?" Buffy appeared at the top of the stairs. "Well, I can't go by myself. Something about vampires hunting there after dark." "So you're taking a vampire." "The best protection. I'll be back before midnight." "Ten." "Eleven?" "Ten thirty, or I'll kick spike's butt for corrupting my impressionable younger sister." "Hey, I'm perfectly capable corrupting myself, thank you very much." "I know that, and you know that, but spike doesn't and he'd rather face the whole of the initiative than risk facing me if he brings you back late." "He's not that scared of you. He'd only face half." Dawn grinned. "Ok. Back at 11:30. Bye." "Bye dawn." Buffy turns to go but then runs down stairs. "Hey, I said 10:30."

I can't believe I spent last night playing truth or dare. Spike shook his head. What's more, I can't believe it was actually fun. He heard footsteps. Nibblet. I can't believe I almost admitted that I like dawn. Buffy would kill me. No, she'd torture me, and then kill me. Dawn would kill me. And I wouldn't blame her. He sighed and opened the door. Dawn had her hand raised ready to open the door. "Damn vampire senses. How the hell am I meant to sneak up on you?" "Give up, pet. You're never going to do it." "I will. One of these days you're going to be watching TV and I will come in quietly and then you'll be at my mercy." She gave a menacing laugh. "And hell will freeze over." Dawn pouted. "Fine. You ready to go to the bronze." She was smiling again. "I might even dance with you." "Yeah, hold on." Spike grabbed his duster and shrugged it on. Sometimes he thought dawn teased him on purpose. They left his crypt and began to walk wordlessly through the graveyard. Dawn was first to break the silence. "So, you don't like Buffy anymore." Spike looked over suspiciously. "Yeah." "So who do you like?" "Not telling." "Aww, come on." "No." "Can I guess?" "You can try?" "Is it willow?" "Not the witch." "Is it harmony?" "You're kidding me." "Is it Drucilla?" Spike paused at this. Did he still love Dru? "Even if she did want me back, I don't think I would go." He finally said. "Any way, I don't know where she is." "Faith?" "Nope." "Have I met her?" "You could say that." That seemed to puzzle dawn. "Is she a vampire?" "No." Dawn thought for a moment. "Is she a she?" she asked with a grin. "Dawn," Spike said warningly. "Ok, so it's a girl, I've met her, and she's not a vampire. It's not Anya, is it?" "Human, luv, not demon." "I give up. Who is it?" "I'm not telling. If you want to know, you're going to have to guess." "Fine, then. I'll guess. Then I'll tell her." Spike just laughed. "If you guess, you have my full permission to tell her that I love her." Dawn narrowed her eyes. "You don't think I'll get it." "You haven't come close." "Can I have a clue?" "No." "You're mean." "I'm the big bad." "Yeah, the big bad, soulful vampire, that can't hit anyone. Scary." "Hey!" "Sorry, am I threatening your fragile masculinity?" "You know, sometimes I wish I could bite you." "So, why don't you?" "Chip." "I thought the chip only goes off if you hurt people." "You think biting you wouldn't hurt?" "Not always. After all, Reilly liked getting bit." "I should of never told you that. Captain Cardboard was a wanker." "Is someone jealous? I think someone's jealous." "I don't like Buffy, remember?" they were approaching the bronze. After they were in the club they continued their conversation. "Is she around Buffy's age, or older?" "Younger." "Younger! How much younger?" "Older than when the poof and the slayer shagged." Dawn thought about that. "I guess that's ok then. What colour hair does she have?" "I'm not telling." Spike said in a singsong voice. "Fine I'll guess. Is she blonde?" "No." "Is she a brunette?" "Yes." "What colour are her eyes?" "Guess." "Brown?" "Nup." "Blue?" "Nope." "Green?" "Nope." "Hazel?" "Nah-uh." "Aw, come on, spike. Tell me. Please." "Fine. She has big blue-green eyes, with little purple dots in them." "They're called flecks. Her eyes have purple flecks in them." "If I say they're dots, then they're bloody well dots." "Fine, they're dots. And I'm guessing that you've gone off blonds, so I think. brown hair." "Yep." "Light or dark?" "Medi- hey! You're meant to be guessing here." Dawn just smiled. "You might as well tell me who she is." "I could, but what'd be the in that?" "I hate you." "Hey, I'll take torture where I get can it, pet." Dawn poked out her tongue. Such a pretty tongue too. "Very mature luv." "I'm a hell of a lot younger than you! I'm allowed to be immature." "Two can play at that game." Spike picked up dawn and carried her into a corner. He bent down slightly and swept back her hair. He noted with pleasure that her pulse increased. "I'm the big bad vampire. Why shouldn't I just bite down?" Dawn didn't answer, but her pulse picked up a bit more speed. He could almost imagine it was from pleasure, not fear. "If you're allowed to act like a little brat 'cause you're younger, I'm allowed to act scary coz I'm a vampire." "You're not scary." Dawn whispered. "Then why's your heart pounding away, sweet bit?" "You tell me you secret, I'll tell you mine." "Not a chance." Spike scraped dawn's neck lightly with blunt teeth before lifting his head. "Tease." "What, you want to be bit?" "Bit's the name and being bit is the game." Dawn said, but spike could pick up her nervousness. "I don't think I should, pet." Dawn's shoulders slumped slightly. "Some one might see, tell big sis." He lent in close and whispered, "but no one can see in my crypt. 'Ow about we make a date tomorrow?" Dawn broke into a big smile. "Sure your girlfriend won't get jealous?" "She'll live. Want to dance?"

Dawn stepped into spike's crypt, careful not to let in too much sun. "Spike?" "Nibblet? That you?" "Who else are you expecting?" Spike's head popped up from his downstairs area. "No one, but the slayer ain't prone to making reservations." "She doesn't knock either." "Neither did you." "Yeah but I didn't storm in yelling, 'spike, get your butt down here,' then started to beat you up." "Yeah, well, you coming down or not?" Dawn began to look nervous. "Downstairs? What's wrong with up here?" Spike rolled his eyes and climbed up the rest of the way. "From the door," he said walking over to dawn. "You can see the couch, you can see the bed, you can see. basically the whole bloody room." He grinned at dawn and gently stroked her arm. "And if big sis were to come in, I'll be living in a ashtray before you can say stake." Dawn giggled. "I don't think living is the right word." Spike smiled as he saw her relax. "Come on, I won't. well, actually I will bite, coz that's what you're here for, but I won't hurt you." "What happens if I want to be hurt?" dawn asked, then blushed. Spike looked at her shocked, and secretly pleased. "What my Nibblet wants my Nibblet gets." He carefully guided dawn to the ladder. "Come on."

Dawn looked at the room in delight. There were candles scattered in random pockets throughout the room, giving off delicate glow. "Wow." "I thought you might like it." "I do. It's. amazing." Spike moved around behind her and began to stroke her arm again. "It's all for you, luv." Dawn spun around as she finally put together all the clues. "Spike. Do you like me?" Spike took a step back. "Depends what you mean by like." "Am I the girl you have a crush on?" "Um, yes." He looked down at the ground. "Look, if you want to go, you can." "Why would I want to do that?" dawn moved forward slowly. "I've got my very own vampire. And apparently, they're very good kissers." She kissed spike on the lips. "Among other things." "You really are amazing pet." He smiled down at dawn. "Still want that li'l love bite?"